One of the oldest churches in the city, Lisbon Cathedral – Sé Cathedral Lisbon – has been declared a National Monument of Portugal. Also known as the Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or simply called as the Se’, this ancient cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church and falls under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Portugal.
Sé cathedral lisbon has survived various calamities, particularly the 1755 earthquake but remains virtually intact except for few damages to the religious edifice. Over the years, the cathedral has undergone multiple renovations and redesign making the present-day construction is an amalgamation of different architectural styles.
The architectural design of Lisbon Cathedral is a definite crowd puller, built in the Romanesque style it has a facade resembling a fortress. Two towers flank the entrance while the walls are covered with ornate crenellations. The design is a Latin cross building with three aisles, a transept, and a main chapel.
Lisbon Cathedral has a Gothic cloister similar to the Jeronimos Monastery. The cloister has several Roman, Medieval, and Arabic remains. The church has a Treasury in the second floor and is interesting to visit. The treasury consists of suits, jewels, and relics from various centuries. Even more interesting!
Lisbon Cathedral is situated close to the old part of town on the outskirts of Alfama. It is central to everything and from here you can easily reach the Old Town, the river, castle and all the main restaurant areas! I first encountered this church on the fish festival the Portuguese have each year! It’s called the Feast of St. Anthony and the whole of lisbon, perhaps Portugal, goes wild for sardines. It is a bad time of year for the humble sardine, because the Portuguese celebrate their existence by eating them in their billions. Probably. Anyway I digress, so when I did happenstance upon Lisbon Cathedral on St. Antony’s day, the size of the crowd outside had initially led me to believe that the second coming had arrived. In fact no, it was just some more fish! Reminded me of story of Jesus and the time he turned something into a lot of fish! Perhaps the second coming had indeed made a cameo appearance again!
Other Religious Sites like the Sé Cathedral Lisbon:
- Jerónimos Monastery is a collososs of a monastery in Belém a district a little out of tow
- Basílica da Estrela is the basilica and ancient carmelite convent in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Monastery of São Dinis de Odivelas: The Monastery of Saint Denis is located in the city of Odivelas, near Lisbon, in Portugal.
- Lisbon has far more on offer than interesting religious site, see the following link for a guide of the most popular things happening in Lisbon!
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